


Bureaucracy Hell

by Aliendel



Category: Bleach
Genre: ... though I probably got them incorrect, Angst, Central 46 - Freeform, Laws and legalies, M/M, POV Outsider, Panic Attack, Paperwork Hell, Shin'Ou Academy, This was supposed to be more UraIchi centric, Unreliable Narrator, UraIchi Week 2019, no beta we die like men, sorry...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-24
Updated: 2019-05-24
Packaged: 2020-03-13 10:03:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18938701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aliendel/pseuds/Aliendel
Summary: At seven hundred and twenty-three, Reizei Ariko was considered old for a shinigami. Useless in a fight, she’d been relegated to an administrative position at the Academy. She was content with her mostly monotonous life dealing with arrogant nobles and stupid brats. Until an orange-haired young man barged into it and turned her life upside down like he had so many others.… or Ichigo’s first experience with the Hell that is Seireitei’s bureaucracy. Thank every kami in existence that Kisuke had a solution for this too.UraIchi Week 2019 - Day 3: POV Outsider





	Bureaucracy Hell

**Author's Note:**

> I’m done!!! OMG, I totally lost control of this thing. I only planned to write about 2000-3000 words. How has it gotten so long!? I just finished it today, probably should wait a few days to look at it with fresh eyes, but I have other projects to work on. So yeah… this is the final version, please forgive any mistake(s) you might find.

Reizei Ariko was a no-nonsense woman who didn’t let anyone walk over her be they the noblest of nobles or the former Soutaichou himself. Average in looks, with no redeeming features, she had nonetheless been told by Shunsui-taichou that when she smiled, she seemed to shine. Unfortunately, nowadays such a thing happened very rarely.

She was part of the fifth generation of shinigamis. Not old enough to have known the lawless times before Yamamoto-soutaichou formed the Gotei 13, but still a veteran. One that had participated in a few wars, unlike the newer generations that, until very, recently had only known centuries of relative peace.

She had achieved Shikai ages ago, been fairly up in the hierarchy of the Ninth Division before her transfer to the First and knew some captains well enough to have been granted the use of their given name.

However, unlike her fellow fifth generation shinigamis who were either dead, highly respected officers or, in some rare case, happily retired, Ariko was only an ordinary member of the First Division.

The wars she took part in had not left her unscathed. While she had physically recovered from all the injuries she had received, but her mind hadn’t. Each time she found herself in a real combat situation, with killing intent involved, she completely froze and about one time out of three went into a full-blown panic attack.

In short, Reizei Ariko was a liability for any squad and Divisions.

Oh, she had tried to leave the Gotei 13 behind, to return to civilian life and maybe open a bookstore. Unfortunately, she had gotten used to a certain amount of crazy and without it, her daily life had seemed cast in hues of gray.

She had also missed having a purpose, a cause to dedicate herself to. She wasn’t naïve recruit, she was well aware that a lot of it was propaganda and low-level brainwashing, but there was a reason why it was so effective. Souls loved to have a common cause that banded them together, she was no exception.

So, for the past three centuries, here she was; an unseated member of the First Division assigned to an administrative position at Shin’Ou Academy.

She kept weathering the looks of pity from friends and acquaintances as well of those of contempt from those of the younger generations who only saw her age and position and thought; failure. She had seen prodigies and hard-working youngsters pass through the Academy’s halls and go on to become respected lieutenants, even some captains, while she stayed at her post seemingly part of the furniture. Despite the occasional nostalgic thoughts of ‘could have been’ and everyone else’s opinion, Ariko was, if not happy, then at least content with her current life.

She might now be useless in combat situations, but she was still a veteran. There were very few things that scared her anymore. Such happened when you had faced an Adjucas alone because the rest of your squad laid dead on the ground around you. Self-important nobles and bratty students had nothing on that nightmarish memory. Many of her colleagues didn’t have her experiences, however.

And so, the difficult ones were always invariably redirected towards her.

She didn’t mind, she took her job seriously and wasn’t corruptible. She was never rude or willingly unhelpful but she did take petty pleasure in seeing arrogant people storm out of office after she had repeatedly told them a variant of ‘Yes I know who you are, yes I know how important your family is, no it does not change anything’.

Maybe Shunsui-taichou was right and she was a bit uptight, but heh… that lazy walking fashion disaster had no room to talk. When people questioned her personality she usually pointed them towards the captain of the Eleventh or worse the _Twelfth’s_.  

So when she felt an _angryfrustratedimpatient_ reiatsu signature hurrying in her direction, she calmly set aside what she was doing and prepared herself for the upcoming confrontation. The level of energy she could sense was way too high to belong to anyone other than the higher ranked officers, which had her mentally review whose ones currently had a relative attending the Academy. The options were fairly limited.

Surprisingly, despite the feelings she could sense from their reiatsu, her next appointment didn’t charge into her office, but knocked politely on its door. She was further put off balance when, once she had called for them to enter, the door gently opened to reveal a person she had never met before despite being fully aware of his identity. No self-respecting shinigami hadn’t heard about the famous, and at times infamous, Kurosaki Ichigo and his signature orange hair.

“Kurosaki-dono,” she started. The rumors said he was related to the Shibas and that his strength rivaled Shunsui-san so hopefully that should be the correct form of address. “How may help you? This is the administrative section of Shin’Ou Academy.” ‘Are you lost?’ she tried to imply. It was widely known that the young hero was still alive and residing in the Transient World. There weren’t even _talks_ of him attending the Academy once he died and passed on to Soul Society.

“The lady at the reception told me to come here before I could even begin to ask my questions,” he explained politely but with an edge of frustration in his voice.

Ariko repressed a wince. Tsukari-chan was the one manning the reception desk today and while efficient, the girl was also cowardly. Barely a decade out of the Academy, she was still finding her feet. Kurosaki-dono’s reiatsu left no doubt as to his state of mind. Add to that his reputation and impressive frown and she wasn’t surprised that Tsukari-chan had immediately redirected him towards her office. The young recruit had had a few bad experiences with moody seated officers, but unlike them, Ariko didn’t think Kurosaki-dono was intentionally flaring his reiatsu to intimidate those weaker. Nevertheless, her colleague had been quite unprofessional.

“I apologize for Tsukari-chan, your reiatsu probably scared her. I might not be the person you need, but I’ll do my best to answer any queries you might have.”

Kurosaki-dono’s hands tightened into fists, a gesture she assumed to be born of both frustration and nervousness, he closed his eyes and the pressure from his reiatsu lowered… barely. So it was a problem of control after all.

“It is fine,” she smiled reassuringly, a rare occurrence, “What can I do for you Kurosaki-dono?”

“Ichigo, please. Dad’s hearing is in two months and both Byakuya and Kisuke said that he should only receive a slap on the wrist if I go and testify on his behalf. Some obscure clause about nurturing and protecting the next generation of shinigami as well as something about a noble’s prerogative. Well, it’s more complicated than that but whatever,” he rambled.

Ariko once again hid a wince. She had heard about Shiba Isshin’s situation if that was indeed who the young man was talking about, and like many was torn about it. On one hand, she was glad that even captain ranked shinigamis were held accountable to the Law. On the other, a lot of the former captain’s circumstances had been out of his control. It was also poor form to repay Ichigo-dono with putting his father on trial after everything he had done for them.

“So everything should be fine,” the orange-haired powerhouse continued, unaware of her dilemma. “But I’ve been informed that to be allowed to testify I need to be a member of the Gotei 13. I’ve gone to Shunsui and he sent me to the Academy. The lady at the entrance redirected me here.”

Well, his case sure wasn’t like the typical ones she usually handled, but she did say she would try her best to answer any questions he might have. Fortunately, being close to seven centuries in age with more than five of them spent in the Gotei 13 meant that she knew her share of laws and regulations.

“While being a member of the Gotei 13 does indeed allow you to testify on trials, so does being part of a noble clan or being officially sworn to one. Residents of Rukongai and Seireitei can also testify if they have a letter of recommendation from appropriate parties. The same goes for Shin’ou Academy’s students. Finally, any representative of Central 46 is allowed to do so as well,” she recited after a short moment to refresh her memory.

“Oh,” he sighed in relief and probably also a bit overwhelmed considering how wide his eyes were. “There are surely some forms I need to fill right? Do you have them here?”

“Always,” she nodded seriously. The Gotei 13 loved its paperwork a little _too_ _much_ if you asked her. “I have the forms to enroll into Shin’Ou Academy if you want them.”

“I’ll take them,” he answered immediately. “Where can I find the others? There’s someone I’d like to go over them with.” His lips curved into a small smile and his reiatsu lost a lot of its _angerimpatience_ feel to it.

She looked at the young man standing before her while trying to come to a decision. She could direct him towards the appropriate locations to get the necessary paperwork. If he was lucky and her colleagues felt helpful it _might_ only take the rest of his day. If he wasn’t… well, there was a reason why the one thing all captains agreed on was their shared hatred for the deceptively harmless sheets of paper.

She could also go and get all the forms for him. It would only take up to an hour of her time and wasn’t really bending the rules, just being extra, okay _very_ _extra_ , helpful for once. So far Ichigo-dono had been respectful, polite and calm, a refreshing change from the people that usually came to see her. The only point she could hold against him was the pressure his reiatsu was exercising on his surroundings. It probably didn’t matter amongst lieutenants and captain, but at the Academy, people were usually a little more… fragile. That being said, it wasn’t deliberate on the young hero’s part.

Decision made, Ariko stood from behind her desk and said, “I can get them for you Ichigo-dono. It should take me around an hour, would you mind waiting for me at the Academy’s entrance?”

He hesitated a little, probably not wanting to trouble her before he seemed to think better of it. He gave her a short bow of gratitude and left.

Ariko watched him leave then began to mentally review all the Divisions she needed to stop at and the people most likely to help her promptly. She had said an hour, and she _wouldn’t_ be late. Time to bring out her rarely used Shunpo.

* * *

 

 

It was a little less than a week later when another few polite knocks resounded on her door. Ariko tried to focus on the reiatsu of the person standing in front of her office but she could sense next to nothing, only the vague impression of hidden power. She called for them to enter and was pleasantly surprised to realize her visitor was the famous young hero.

“Good morning, Ichigo-dono, what can I help you with today?” she asked professionally, using the same voice she used to mask her irritation at her usual visitors though this time it masked her concern instead. The young man in her office looked tired and she really didn’t like the subtle defeated slump of his shoulders.

“Morning,” he said frowning, “Just Ichigo is fine, no need for the noble formalities.”

“Of course Ichigo-dono,” she replied with a bland look.

“Right, so you’re one of those,” he sighed before getting on with the reason he was in her office. “I was hoping you had any idea about what we talked about last time. The forms were helpful but didn’t provide a solution after all.”

Ariko tilted her head curiously at his answer and, correctly interpreting her inquisitive gesture, Ichigo-dono sat down in one of the previously ignored chairs and started explaining his plight.

“All of the options you gave me to be able to testify have their own problems. None are as simple as signing my name at the bottom of some random document. They don’t really matter however as the defense my friends came up with for Dad hinges on me being part of the Gotei 13.”

“Technically Shin’Ou Academy’s students _are_ part of the Gotei 13…” she started, but didn’t get to finish.

“Sorry, a fully active member of the Gotei 13,” Ichigo-dono specified, interrupting her politely.

“So you have not come to see me to enroll in the Academy,” she said softly, her mind whirling. She tried to remember the few shinigamis that hadn’t joined the organization through conventional means and the way they had done it.

“Unless I can graduate in the next few weeks then no.”

“You don’t need to be a student to take the graduation exams, only a recommendation letter. However, they are held only twice a year, no exception. Even the quickest graduate from the Academy took a year to go through the curriculum,” she recited by rote. How many times had she had to argue this point with a student who felt the Academy was beneath them? Hopefully, this wasn’t another one.

Thankfully Ichigo-dono reply was only a short, “Yeah I know, Rukia explained it to me.”

She hummed softly, still lost in memories. There was the case of that Rukongai sensation about some four centuries ago who had gone from knocking on Seireitei’s doors to lieutenant of the Seventh practically overnight. The woman hadn't even survived 50 years as a shinigami, but that wasn’t the point. There was also the seventh seat from the Sixth, what was his name again, with whom the late Kuchiki GInrei had just shown up one day. She didn’t remember any of them taking the exams. Though to be fair, she hadn’t really been paying attention either.

“Something about Shikai…” she said, feeling like she almost had it.

“I do have Shikai,” her forgotten visitor deadpanned, “Bankai too if that helps.”

“Shikai… Bankai…OH!” she exclaimed in an out of character outburst. “Please wait a moment Ichigo-dono.”

She used Shunpo to quickly travel to the Academy’s archive. Ignoring the numerous records of previous students, she went straight for the books containing the rules and regulations. Especially those with obscure clauses that she didn’t keep in her office as they were so rarely needed. In was only a matter of a few minutes to find what she was looking for before she hurried back to the waiting young man.

“I apologize for the wait, but I think I’ve found what you need,” she stated, sitting back down at her desk and opening the book to the corresponding page. “There it is; anyone having attained Shikai is eligible to become a member of the Gotei 13 providing they meet with the majority of the captains’ approval. Proof of at least basic proficiency in Shunpo, Zanjutsu, Hakuda and Kidou, as well as proof of literacy, must also be submitted. In the case of Bankai mastery, only a captain recommendation letter is necessary. All forms must be signed by the Soutaichou himself.”

“There also details about what is entailed by ‘proof of proficiency’, but it seems like it’s only the basics of basics. This should pose no trouble for you Ichigo-dono.”

He nodded at her words, clear relief shining in his eyes.

“I can’t give you the book, but we have a newly installed photocopier in the staff room. It should just take a moment.”

“Thank you. Can I come with you?” the young man asked to her surprise. She didn’t really see how the staff room could hold any of his interest. It wasn’t like the machine should be a novelty for him, they were apparently common in the Transient World. Well, young people these days were a bit strange.

“Sure, this way please.”

Ichigo-dono followed her with his arms crossed, an impressive frown and lightly blushing cheeks. “You know,” he started, “I never asked for your name.”

* * *

 

In the weeks that followed Ichigo-dono didn’t seek her out again. He must have used the solution she found for him however as she had heard both the seniors Shunpo and Zanjutsu instructors ramble for what felt hours about the talent of the famous Kurosaki Ichigo in their respective discipline.

She tried not to feel hurt, the young hero didn’t owe her anything after all. She just had hoped to be the one he came to when he had to fill out the forms. She would have liked to be the first one to congratulate him on his official entry into the Gotei 13.

Ichigo-dono’s visits had also been high points in her otherwise monotonous and, at times, irritating daily life. His problem had been atypical and refreshingly challenging while his attitude had been polite and respectful if a bit sullen and impatient. All in all, Ariko wished more of her visitors could be ones that broke her routine.

…And she should have learned by now not to tempt fate. Her next visitor was indeed one that had nothing with her usual ones, but not in a good way. Not in a good way at all.

The man stormed into her office one morning and at first, she placed him into the arrogant nobles’ category. His looks and reiatsu-level were both definitely average, but he hadn’t knocked, had started yelling at her immediately and held himself with so much confidence it gave off a feeling of condescendence instead.

It was only when she started to listen to his yelling, catching worlds like ‘Central Great Underground Prison’ and ‘Soul King’s mandate’ that she realized with dread that it was so much worse than a self-important noble. This was a Central 46 crony.

She made sure her bland professional mask was in place and braced herself for a difficult conversation. If Central 46 had a valid reason for seeking her out then, of course, she would do her utmost to assist them as was her duty, but she _wouldn’t_ be part of any act of corruption.

“Reizei Ariko of the First Division, you are to hereby stop any association with the hybrid known as Kurosaki Ichigo. Furthermore, you will submit to Central 46 for review, every documentation that you gave to the aforementioned hybrid. Should anyone, regardless of their military rank, approach you again on the subject of Shiba Isshin’s trial you will immediately inform us of it. As Central 46 made themselves clear Reizei Ariko?”

She had to try hard to repress a sigh, as expected the annoying man hadn’t been sent to her for a valid reason. They were simply trying to intimidate her so she would stop helping Ichigo-dono. It looked like Shiba Isshin’s trial wasn’t so cut and dry after all. She probably didn’t know all the stakes.

“I require an answer Reizei-san!” the man screamed in her face.

He really didn’t like to be ignored, did he? Was he expecting her to become meek and comply with every demand simply because he was raising his voice and flaring his reiatsu? Maybe it worked on ordinary souls and very weak shinigamis, but not someone like her.

“You will answer me, woman!”

Or maybe it was the backing of Central 46 behind him?  Granted, that council’s powers were terrifying and its members not afraid to abuse them. Yet, she wasn’t scared. She remembered when Central 46 had been a _good_ thing, serving as a counterpoint to Yamamoto-soutaichou’s military dictatorship. That council had had her loyalty and obeisance, the present one, not so much. She hadn’t done anything wrong, hadn’t broken any law. And If they wanted to frame her then…. Well, she had lived a long life already, more so than many other souls and she had very few regrets. Not that she would let them bring her down easily.

“YOU!”

She repressed another sigh and decided to answer the man less her colleagues came to see what the commotion was about. “Am I under arrest? Do you have a signed order from Central 46 for me?”

“My words are Central 46’s words, a verbal order should-“

“If not then I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” she interrupted him calmly before he could start another rant about Central 46’s and his own importance. “As long as Kurosaki-dono asks for my assistance he shall have it. Of course, only so long as doing so does not require to break any laws or interfere with my duties.”

“You…” the man sputtered and she feared he would start yelling again, but he suddenly became very calm and a malicious glint entered his eyes. “Do you really think we did not investigate the person that was assisting the hybrid? That we do not know why a shinigami with your experiences, one having attained Shikai, is wasting away in this tiny office?”

In one part of her mind, the one that wasn’t frozen, Ariko took the time to consider how pathetic his killing intent was, how it didn’t even come close to some she had felt before. The rest of it, along with her body, she had already lost control of. Her breath had become ragged, her hands wouldn’t stop shaking and her eyes couldn’t leave his. The room was blurry, looking more and more like a desolate field, the ground was bloody and littered with vague lifeless forms while the man, the man wasn’t really one anymore. He was taller, a lot taller, all black except for a chilling white bone mask.

Not completely out of it, she registered when someone else entered the office and yelled at the first Hollow shaped man to leave her alone. Then the second man killing intent, one much _much_ more oppressive, tinted with real hollow reiatsu, flooded the room and Ariko was gone.

She didn’t know how long she was out, how long she had been caught in that horrible memory.

When she woke up she was still in her office, sitting comfortably on the floor against a wall while a strong voice gently recited a never-ending litany of reassurances.

“Ichi-go-dono?” she said hesitantly vaguely recognizing the strangely muted, but powerful reiatsu signature as his.

“Hey Ariko-san,” the young man sitting against the closed door replied with a calm smile. “Don’t worry about that asshole, he won’t seek you out again. And huh…sorry,” he continued sheepishly, “I think my reiatsu is the one who really sent you under.”

“Not your reiatsu,” she corrected softly, “Your killing intent. It always brings out battle memories.”

“Makes sense,” he nodded seriously.

She looked at him in surprise. There had been no pity or judgment in his voice, only comprehension. That wasn’t really the usual reaction to one of her episodes.

“Well it does,” he shrugged in response to her startled expression, “You’re too strong to have been overwhelmed by that asshole’s reiatsu. PTSD explains it, it’s annoying like that.”

She frowned a little at the unfamiliar term but didn’t question it. Ichigo-dono talked about it with the ease of experience and she didn’t want to drag out any more painful memories. Today had been embarrassing enough, time to get back on familiar footing. “Do you believe we could…”

“Get back onto proper chairs?” he completed with a raised eyebrow. Not waiting for her answer, the young man stood up and gave her a hand to do the same. “You don’t like sitting on the floor, Ariko-san?”

“It’s not proper nor professional,” she glared at him without heat. “Unless, of course, it’s in seiza and in the appropriate context.”

Her perfectly serious response only caused him to throw his head back and laugh. She was glad they had left the subject of her panic attack, but not that it was done so at her expense. As her glare didn’t have a proper cower effect on him, she tried the distraction route. “I heard congratulations are in order. How does it feel to be an official member of the Gotei 13 Ichigo-dono?”

The young man shrugged, losing the air of amusement about him. He sat properly on one of her chairs and wryly said, “I don’t know, I’m not one.”

Ariko blinked in confusion. “But I heard that you passed the Zanjutsu and Shunpo test. Furthermore, why did Central 46 send this man if they didn’t feel threatened by you?”

“Oh, they do feel threatened,” he assured with a self-satisfied tone of voice, “You probably realized there’s more to Dad’s trial than meets the eyes. It’s actually a bit of a power play by Shunsui, Kisuke, and Byakuya. Central 46’s bastards know that they can’t afford to lose the trial. So they’re doing everything they can to stop me from becoming an official member of the Gotei 13 since our whole position actually hinges on it.”

“But they have to respect their own laws,” she argued still confused, “They can’t refuse you entry if you meet the conditions for it.”

“Technically no, but they can be difficult about it.” At her continued look of incomprehension, he shifted a little on his chair and explained further, “The problem is the Kidou test. The lists of spells to choose from were included in the book and they will only accept one of those. Even if I can perform much more advanced ones.”

“But… those spells were only the very basic of Hadou and Bakudou. Surely they pose no difficulty to Ichigo-dono,” Ariko asked bewildered. If she remembered right then on the list had been number one through five for both Hadou and Bakudou. Nothing that would give even the weakest shinigami any trouble.

It was his turn to look at her in surprise before realization settled on his face, “You really don’t know. I thought everyone was aware that I can’t perform any spells under 30. I sure get teased enough about it.”

Her confusion must have really shown because he sighed and reluctantly recalled his learning experiences. To the embarrassment of the young man, what followed was an hour of Ariko laughing at his attempts at the lower Kidou spells. As amusing as it was, however, by the end of it she was thoroughly convinced that Ichigo-dono should _definitely_ stick with the higher level spells.

“So to summarize, you passed all your tests with flying colors except the Kidou one because you can’t perform the lower-level spells. Even though you can execute some of the higher ones that even some captains are unable to.”

“That’s about it, yeah.”

“This is ridiculous,” she whispered to herself. The orange haired hero was very young, true, as well as a bit rough around the edges and his reiatsu control needed _a_ _lot_ of work, but he would also be an incredible asset to the Gotei 13. Central 46 should be honored and eager to have him join, not blocking him at every turns!

“We’ve tried to appeal to have the test changed, but since those old bastards are the ones that received it, it was unsurprisingly denied. I’m basically back at square one. Any other bright idea Ariko-san?” Ichigo-dono asked without any real hope.

“I’m sorry, not on the top of my head. As the Soul King himself had a hand in establishing Shin’Ou Academy, a lot of credibilities is given to its graduation exams. It’s really the most efficient and usual way to join. Even Zaraki-taichou eventually took them, though he had been leading the Eleventh unofficially for a while by then.”

“But the next ones are too far away,” the young man added, voicing what they both knew.

“Unfortunately.” She stared at his frowning face in silence for a few seconds, but the decision wasn’t a hard one to make. “I’ll tell you what I’ve told that envoy before you arrived. Should you ask for my assistance it is yours. So far as it does not require me to break the law or interfere with my duties I will do whatever I can to help.”

“I’m asking for it Ariko-san.”

“Very well. I do not know if I’ll find anything, but I’ve got quite a lot of old books at home and my position gives me access to most of Seireitei’s archives. I’ll use whatever free time I have to search them for you.”

“Thank you, I’ll be spending most of my days in Soul Society for a while so if you find anything please come find me as soon as possible. I’ll also tell you if we find anything on our side.”

“Even if you’re hanging out with captains or sparring with one of your friends?” she asked to be sure.

“Heh,” he shrugged, “This is important, and I know that captains don’t intimidate you. You’re friend with Shunsui after all. Turns out when he sent me to the Academy, he was actually sending me to you. Would have been nice if he could have said so though.”

“Oh,” she said simply, not knowing if she wanted to strangle or thank Shunsui-san for it. “And how should I find you? Your reiatsu is strangely muted, I don’t think I’ll be able to track it.”

Ichigo-dono startled as if what she was saying was news to him. “Sorry, I really suck at sensing reiatsu so I never realized you’d have trouble finding me while I wore this,” he explained showing the ordinary leather bracelet he had worn the last time too. “When you said that I had scared the lady at the front with my reiatsu I realized that was probably why some shinigamis flinched away from me. I’m not really able to stop leaking it though so when I complained to Kisuke he made me this.”

She was a little surprised at his words. Urahara Kisuke, the former captain of the Twelfth had created a totally new device _just_ because Ichigo-dono had whined about scaring a few unseated shinigamis? “I see, so if you take it off…”

“Then you’ll be able to track me down. Well, I hope. I know I couldn’t do it,” the young man stated and removed the dampening bracelet.

And yes, there was his powerful _angryimpatient_ reiatsu though she could also now sense something like _protectioncaringmine_ in it. She wanted to ask clarifications about that but a firm knock on her door reminded her that she should really be getting back to work. Ichigo-dono must have arrived at the same conclusion because he stood, intending to leave.

“Thank you for your help with Central 46’s envoy Ichigo-dono,” she said, implicitly thanking him for the aftermath too.

“It’s no trouble, everyone knows I’d do a lot more than that for my friends. Good day, Ariko-san.”

“Friends…? Wait what!?” but the young man had already left before she could protest how they had only met a total of three times, or how she was centuries older than him, or even how he wasn’t allowed to claim her as a friend without asking her first.

It took some efforts to get back to her professional demeanor before her colleagues entered. Really, young people these days…

* * *

 

Without the dampening bracelet, Ichigo-dono reiatsu was like a powerful sun amongst the countless ones of the ordinary shinigamis that felt like no more than campfires in comparison. She had no trouble tracking it to a luxurious if low-key restaurant.

Ariko had come there exactly once before when she had finally found the courage to confess to Juushiro-san after having had a crush on the man for more than a century. Probably knowing she was one of Shunsui-san’s friends, the late captain had courteously invited her to dinner before gently and politely rejecting her. Despite having had something like a date with one of Seiretei’s most eligible bachelor at the time, no rumors had ever about that night had ever reached her ears.

The restaurant was that discreet, it prided itself on this reputation to attract customers that valued their privacy.

While she had appreciated that fact at the time of her rejection, she now found it extremely annoying. It took long minutes of arguing with a suspicious server and then an unhelpful manager for them to even consent to deliver a message to Ichigo-dono. Nevermind delivering it herself, she had to wait outside.

Fortunately, she had barely started on her grumbling rant about youngsters and their lack of respect when the young man she had come to see stormed out of the restaurant looking for her.

“Ariko-san! Sorry for the trouble. I usually get mobbed in public when I’m in Seireitei, so my date brought me here. It helps that they also really like their privacy.”

So he really was on a date after all. She had never seen him so relaxed before; his eyes were lit up, his cheeks slightly pink and his usual frown was replaced by a soft smile. He was also dressed formally, which only served to enhance his natural charisma. It was really unfortunate that his reiatsu was so powerful that it rendered her unable to sense the ones from the souls inside the restaurant thus being also unable to get a lead on their identities. If only it wasn’t so rude to ask…

“It’s no trouble Ichigo-dono. I would have come back at a later time once I realized you were on a date, but you did say as soon as possible,” she said, reluctantly burying her love for gossip and focusing on the task at hand. “I think I’ve found something you could use, it’s in this old copy. It’s also my own copy so feel free to take as much time as you need with it. “

She handed it over to the grateful young man and further explained, “Old laws aren’t really my area of expertise, but I found a passage about allies in time of war that could be brought in at the discretion of the Soutaichou if their contributions were significant enough. I don’t see why you couldn’t qualify for it.”

“Thank you,” he said simply but gratitude could be heard loud and clear in his voice. “I should get back inside.”

“Have a nice evening Ichigo-dono,” Ariko replied and bowed before leaving quickly. The temptation to ask who was the lucky girl with him was really too great. Best remove herself before she committed a social faux pas.

If she had to bet her money on it, she would go with the young Kuchiki-dono. Rumors said her and Ichigo-dono could often be seen together. Apparently, they had a very _interesting_ dynamic.

* * *

 

Unlike the time when he tried to join the Gotei 13 through the Shikai/Bankai exception, Ariko didn’t have to wonder about Ichigo-dono’s results with the loophole she had found.

A few days following the now infamous date, only in her mind since she had resisted the urge to gossip, a fight erupted at the entrance of Central 46’s chambers. Ichigo-dono’s reiatsu could be felt throughout Seireitei and, according to rumors, the building still stood only because several of his friends had been able to stop him. They had relocated the furious young man to an isolated space and had exhausted his anger and energy through spars.

Clashing reiatsu the likes not seen since the last war could be felt for hours that day.

Needless to say that Ichigo-dono was once again the talk of Soul Society.

She was also not as surprised as she should have been when he knocked on her door the day following the incident. She had come to terms with the fact that Ichigo-dono saw her as a friend, and he was extremely protective of them.

“Good day Ichigo-dono. Please do not worry, I am fine,” she immediately said. The young man looked truly awful. Stressed and tired which were expected considering the situation, he also seemed totally done with life and in someone usually so powerful and full of energy it quite disturbing to see. “I’m more concerned about you.”

“So my outburst didn’t harm you?” he asked. It looked like she had read him right. “People mostly talk about how they felt my reiatsu, but I know I was angry enough at those old bastards to leak killing intent.”

“It wasn’t directed at me, and I was far enough that it did not affect me. I’m sure the councillors deserved it,” she assured him, her faith in her government quickly turning to ashes. “But, as I said, I’m more worried about you. Are _you_ alright Ichigo-dono?”

He sighed, folding unto himself. “This place is messed up Ariko-san.”

She tried to smile, anything to cheer him up, but it probably came off as a grimace instead, “At least there are some good people in it.”

“Yeah,” he agreed still too lifeless for her tastes, “Which is why I’m not using my customary way of recklessly storming into the situation and letting Zangetsu do the talking, but trying the diplomatic route for once. It’s really not going well. I’m also much stronger than I was when I first came to rescue Rukia. With my poor control, a lot of innocents could be hurt.”

“Thank you for that,” she stated wholeheartedly. “And sorry I couldn’t be of more help. I really don’t know what else I can do for you Ichigo-dono.”

“It’s just Ichigo,” he replied, once again. “And you’ve done more than enough already. You’re the only one amongst all the administrative shinigamis I talked to that was of any help at all. And once Central 46 got involved, I might as well be addressing walls for all the attention they gave me. I’m not one to give up, so I’m not. But, well…” he shrugged dejectedly, “I’m kind of losing hope here.”

“I’m sorry,” she stated again, because what else could she say?

“Not your fault,” he repeated. “And I’m not totally out of options, my lover is both creative and dangerous. They have at least a dozen contingency plans, but I really, _really_ , don’t want to have to use those. Anyway!,” he exclaimed with faked energy, “Enough about me, tell me about your day Ariko-san.”

Knowing a demand for distraction when she saw one, she happily obliged. “Well, this morning I had the incredible honor to receive one of the Kuchiki elders in my humble office.”

“Oooooh, maybe I can use that against Byakuya the next time he comments on my poor reiatsu control. Do tell.”

* * *

 

Three days had passed without news of Ichigo-dono and Ariko was getting worried for the young man. He had looked so dejected when he left her office last time. Had he found a solution? She certainly hoped so, somehow she had come to care for the polite young man.

When there were a few quiet knocks at the very end of her day she perked up, hoping to see her favorite orange head. A little focus however quickly disabused her of that notion. The reiatsu signature in front of her door was much too controlled to be him. Once she ignored its obvious façade of projected calm, it coldly sang with _focusdeterminationdanger_ and a subtle metallic touch she had always associated with blood.

“Please enter,” she called professionally. The owner of such a dangerous reiatsu didn’t faze her, but she really hoped Tsukari-chan had been fooled by the calm mask. Otherwise, the young girl was probably in hysterics right now.

“Good day Reizei-san,” a man she had never thought to see again said, bowing formally.

“Urahara Kisuke…” she whispered in wonder. She vividly remembered the teen that had attended the Academy a little more than three centuries ago. He had given most of his teachers fits with his prodigious intelligence and subtle disregard for the rules. New students still whispered legends of the chaos caused by Shihouin Yoruichi and Urahara Kisuke. Very little of that both introvert and mischevious teen remained in the man before her. Scarred by life, with wounds both visible and not, he had survived and come up stronger for it. It could be read in the depth of his eyes and the confident posture of his shoulders.

It suited him. He wasn’t very handsome compared to other men she knew, but there was something mesmerizing about him. This was a man who had hit rock bottom and climbed back up with only the help of his used and bloodied hands. This was a competent man, one you did not want to cross.

His answering smile was the perfect blend of polite and amiable. It revealed nothing. “Thank you for assisting Kurosaki-san for the past month. However, as it stands, he will not be able to testify at his father’s trial and, knowing Central 46, Shiba Isshin will be condemned to the Central Great Underground Prison. At best. This _cannot_ be allowed to happen.”

Before she could protest the direction the conversation was going, Ariko _would_ _not_ falsify any documents, the sharp man brought out a pile of forms from seemingly thin air. At the very top of the pile, she recognized one she had given Ichigo-dono the very first time he came to her office. It was heavily annotated with barely readable scribbles.

“I realize it is late, but as you are apparently the only official in the whole of Seireitei that Central 46 cannot corrupt as well as highly efficient, would mind going over everything with me once more? There must be a loophole we can find.”

She nodded quickly and blushed. She _blushed_! When was the last time she had done so? Ariko had always had a thing for a competent man, and the way Urahara Kisuke had commandeered her desk, pilling more and more paperwork neatly organized and duly noted, screamed competence.

This promised to be an interesting night.

* * *

 

About a week after what she had begun to mentally call The-Sleepless-Night-Of-Blushing-And-Paperwork, a massive explosion rocked the Academy’s main building and sent most of the content of her desk on the floor.

Thoughts of That Night and Ichigo-dono’s plight immediately left Ariko’s mind as she switched into emergency and evacuation mode.

While better than nothing, simulations just didn’t manage to properly convey the panic and hysteria that always accompanied an evacuation caused by a real emergency. The one that followed the invasion of Seireitei by Ichigo-dono and his human friends had been their first true test in centuries and the results had been nothing short of pathetic. They had been very, _very_ lucky that the Academy had not seen any action. Ariko was one of the only staff members who had managed to keep a calm head and even then, she had committed a few minor mistakes. Everything had just been a very inefficient and dangerous mess, one that the late Soutaicho had eventually been _extremely_ displeased with.

Fortunately, everyone had come a long way since that time, what with all the emergencies in recent years, and the current evacuation was proceeding smoothly.

Halfway through it, words traveled down the ladder that it was a false alarm caused by a training accident. Wondering what kind of training accident could result in such an uproar, she had seen her fair share and none had _ever_ created an explosion the size that had shaken the Academy today, she calmly saw the students back in their dorms.

When she was finally able to return to her office a while later, she found Ichigo-dono waiting in front of her door. He still wore his dampening bracelet, so she couldn’t ascertain his state through his reiatsu, but he looked a lot better than the last time she had seen him. Gone was the air of gloom and defeat he had exuded recently and so was the badly contained anger and frustration. While he still looked like he needed to sleep for three days straight, his eyes were lit with purposeful energy and a faint trace of… sheepishness?

Ariko was taken aback for a moment before a light bulb seemed to light up in her mind. _Of_ _course_ , Ichigo-dono was responsible for the training accident that had caused an explosion and forced the Academy’s evacuation.

“Good day, Ichigo-dono. Am I right in presuming that the training accident has something to do with you?”

Then young man shrugged unrepentantly, “Wasn’t an accident. I _told_ them to put on some barriers,” then he bowed slightly towards her, “Sorry for the inconvenience Ariko-san.”

“But I’m the only one you’re sorry for inconveniencing aren’t I Ichigo-dono?” she replied in a teasing tone. It was delightful to see life in the young man’s eyes again.

“It’s just Ichigo,” he sighed softly, probably knowing that she would once again ignore his demand, “And yeah, I know how busy you are. You’ve spent a lot of your time helping me, I didn’t want to make you lose more of it. As for the others, they didn’t listen when I warned them, and Kisuke said the alarm would be good practice for everyone anyway.”

Well, he wasn’t wrong, she mused while opening her door and inviting him inside. It wouldn’t do to get complacent again now that things seemed to be calming down in Soul Society.

“How did you cause the explosion exactly?” she asked, trying to distract him from the messy state of the room while she quickly cleaned out the things on the floor.

“Byakurai,” he answered seriously.

She eyed him reproached, “Byakurai doesn’t cause an explosion even when you overpower it to the limit. You yourself should know that Ichigo-dono.”

“Right,” the young powerhouse agreed, wincing in remembrance before explaining further, “Hadou #4 Byakurai can’t cause an explosion, but Hadou #104 Byakurai can.”

She blinked slowly, wondering if he was joking with her, but no, Ichigo-dono looked completely serious. “There’s no Hadou #104 Byakurai,” she stated.

“There is,” he disagreed, “As of yesterday, when Urahara Kisuke submitted and demonstrated his newest creation to the Kidou Corps. The Soutaichou as well as the captains of the Sixth and Tenth were in attendance and were quick to sign the paperwork making it part of the official Hadou list.”

“What!” she exclaimed surprised. Her mind went back to the conditions for exceptional admittance to the Gotei 13, “But… but that would mean…”

“Proof of literacy, proof of Bankai mastery, proof of Shunpo proficiency, proof of Zanjutsu proficiency, proof of Hakuda proficiency and… proof of Kidou proficiency,” Ichigo-done said laying each form on her desk dramatically. “And, of course, the required letter of recommendation from a captain. Which one would you prefer? Hirako-taichou’s? Kuchiki Byakuya-taichou’s? Kuchiki Rukia-taichou’s? Hitsugaya-taichou? Sui-Feng-taichou’s? I even have one from Zaraki-taichou, or would one from Kyouraku-Soutaichou be better?” he asked laying down another handful of papers. His smile was the widest she had ever seen from him.

“Urahara-san did say at the end of that night that the only way was to play on the words...” Ariko mumbled astonished.

“Right, like how only Yamamoto-jiissan could have been able to sign on my admittance. Kisuke said that the Kidou proficiency test only specifies the names of the spells the applicants have to choose from, there’s no mention of their number.”

“So he created a new Hadou spell that uses lightning to cause an explosion, named it Byakurai, got it officially registered and you used it to pass the Kidou test,” she summarized still in shock as the brilliance of Urahara-san’s plan. “And if, _when_ , Central 46 protest the name of the new spell and try to change it, they’ll have to use the committee-long way since it has already been approved. By that time Shiba-dono’s trial would have passed.”

“And even if they want to use the name change to invalidate its result, I’ll have passed the normal exams that are in three months which will make the point moot anyway,” the orange-haired young man added, still smiling.

Ariko gifted him with her own rare smile, she really was happy for her young friend and took out the forms that would make Ichigo-dono an official member of the Gotei 13. Considering how long she had wanted to be able to fill them out, it was only a matter of minutes to do so. “Congratulations on your admittance Ichigo-dono,” she said sincerely.

“Thanks for everything, really. Do you mind if I bring them directly to Shunsui to sign? Not that I don’t trust you Ariko-san, but I don’t want them to get ‘lost’ in the system.”

“Sure,” she nodded. It wasn’t really how it was usually done, but it also wasn’t against the rules.

She stopped him just as he was about to take his leave, and would later blame the euphoria of their shared victory against Seireitei’s nightmarish bureaucracy for her bold question. “Ichigo-dono… you are close with Urahara-san are you not? Do you know if he has someone?”

The young man blinked at her in incomprehension, “What?’

She blushed in embarrassment but nevertheless elaborated, “Do you know if he already has a lover. Do you think I have a chance? I mean… I know he’s younger than me, maybe a bit too much, but age doesn’t matter as much to shinigamis.”

“You..and Kisuke…” he sputtered. His fists tightened and his cheeks became red. He wouldn’t look her in the eyes, but took a deep breath and quickly said, “Sorry Ariko-san, but Kisuke already has someone. Good day.” Then he hastily bowed and used one of the fastest Shunpo she had ever seen to flew her office.

Ariko stared at the empty space in shock for a moment before she recalled how Ichigo-dono eyes softened when he spoke about Urahara-san and how the former captain had created a whole new spell just to help the young man. How their date had hinted at someone who guarded their privacy ferociously, but also at someone with some sort of status.

“Oh… so that’s how it is,” she whispered with only a small touch of regret.

* * *

 

Like every evening, Ururu was sitting at the table working diligently on her homework. To Jinta’s eternal woes, living in the same house as Urahara-san meant that education was a priority.

Delicious smells came from kitchen where Tessai-san was cooking with his magic touch, the rhythm of Jinta’s foot tapping on the floor echoed the one her pencil made on the paper, somewhere in the basement the distinct whirling of a machine could be heard, a door slammed open followed by the sound of a body hitting a wall and deep kissing.

All part of the usual at the Shoten.

“What,” she heard Jinta say in a confused voice.

Ururu didn’t raise her eyes from her work, she liked when people respected her privacy so she did her best to respect theirs in return. That didn’t stop her from rolling them at her adopted brother. “Someone hit on Ichigo-nii, Urahara-san learned about it and became jealous. Cue the dramatics. It happens often enough,” she deadpanned.

“No. What?” Jinta repeated still confused.

She repressed an irritated sigh, her family didn’t need more teasing material about the moody attitude she had developed in recent years, but raised her eyes and looked towards the commotion resigned to explain once again the intricacies of a couple’s relationship to Jinta.

As expected Urahara-san was pressed against the wall while Ichigo-nii did his best to devour his lover’s mouth. Wait… ooooooooooooh. She nodded with a small amused smile and went back to her homework. Despite the unusual scene, it still wasn’t her business.

“What. Is. GOING ON!” Her brother screamed clearly having reached the end of his short patience.

“Someone hit on Urahara-san, Ichigo-nii learned about it and became jealous. Cue the dramatics.”

“Oh, so that is what is happening,” he nodded mollified before pausing, his eyes widening in horror. “Wait wait wait, there’s someone insane enough beside Ichigo-nii to hit on that man!?”

And that was the last straw for Ururu; she erupted into giggles. Jinta’s look of horror combined with Tessai-san’s suspicious silence in the kitchen, Ichigo-nii’s blushing cheeks and Urahara-san’s smug smile were just too much for her.

**Author's Note:**

> Why did I choose to write with the P.O.V. of a lady in her fifties? Ururu’s segment at the end was sooooooooo much easier to write. I remember being a moody teenager. An elder woman? Not so much. Not yet at least.
> 
> This was supposed to be a bit more Ichigo/Kisuke oriented, but, a few months ago, I had a really bad experience with some official documents and the hoops I had to jump through to get them. I think I let my frustrations influence this fic a little too much... *shrug*
> 
> Anyway, this is it for UraIchi Week 2019 Day 3.  
> Hope you enjoyed it. 


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